‘Jeopardy!’ Contestant Defends Herself After Worst Blunder in History: ‘I Did What I Did’
In the past few years, people with the given name “Karen” have been having a rough time. The name has become a moniker for lots of unsavory personality traits. Now, it seems like the name “Karen” could potentially become an alias for those who don’t make the wisest decisions when competing on Jeopardy! After a contestant named Karen Morris made a particularly bad blunder, some passionate fans have taken to ridiculing her. But, Morris seems to be faring pretty well and even defended her polarizing decision.
How Karen Morris’ Daily Double blunder cost her the win
Morris competed on Jeopardy! on Wednesday, March 22. But while it’s been nearly a week since her show aired, fans of the popular quiz show are still discussing her short-lived run on the show. Thanks to a risky Daily Double wage, the Virginia Tech student has caused quite the commotion. Morris’ blunder occurred at the tail end of the second round of Jeopardy! At the time, the Christiansburg, Virginia native was firmly in the lead, having racked up a pretty sustainable $21,800. This was a great deal more than her fellow contestants, who’d managed to earn $6,400 and $7,100, respectively.
Of course, Morris’ managed to significantly narrow her impressive lead by $10,000 when she risked the aforementioned astronomical amount on a Hans Solo clue. The clue read: “This artist, the younger, was working on another portrait of Henry VIII when he died in 1953.” The correct answer to the clue was “Who is Hans Holbein.” Unfortunately, Morris was unable to come up with an answer to the question and neglected to guess the German-Swiss painter or anyone for that matter. Her blunder caused her total to plummet to $11,800 and ultimately cost her the game.
The former ‘Jeopardy!’ contestant defended her decision on Twitter after receiving backlash
As if losing Jeopardy! wasn’t hard enough, Morris has also had to contend with passionate fans of the game show mocking her for her decision. “An all-time wagering blunder from Karen on today’s @Jeopardy,” one fan penned on Twitter. “She deserved to lose!” Another Jeopardy! viewer also called out Morris’ faux pas on Twitter. “That wager was wildly unnecessary,” they wrote. “You had it sewn up, Karen, then greed took you down #Jeopardy #blunder.”
But it seems that Morris isn’t taking the criticism lying down. She pushed back at critics, emphasizing that she was simply happy to compete on Jeopardy! “Ultimately, I did what I did, and I had THE MOST FUN, and at the end of the day (I’m sorry Mom, I know you hate that phrase), it’s a game, and it’s a show, and it’s a game show,” the former contestant wrote on her own Twitter page.
Morris has made hilarious jokes about her infamous ‘Jeopardy!’ blunder
While the criticism has continued to roll in, Morris seems to be mostly unfazed. Instead, the veterinary student is making light of her risky Daily Double wage. After one Jeopardy! fan wrote, “I’m screaming at Karen. Bet Low! Bet Low! But nope, $10,000 #wompwomp #jeopardy,” on Twitter, Morris gave a hilarious response. “Joe, I could not hear you,” she penned with a crying emoji. “Please, everyone, enunciate when you are shouting at the TV.” Clearly, Morris isn’t losing too much sleep about her blunder, even if it got Jeopardy! fans riled up.
